Kristian Garic

Kristian: 3 mistakes have the Tigers facing elimination

by Kristian Garic,posted Jun 17 2013 12:51PM

Sure, Alex Bregman’s error in the 8th inning led to the go-ahead score for UCLA in a 2-1 win over LSU. Catcher Ty Ross also committed an error as well in the 6th inning that lead to a run. However, those are physical mistakes. The mental mistake of not sacrificing Mason Katz to second base with Raph Rhymes by Coach Paul Mainieri in the bottom of the 9th inning was the real back-breaker.

Rhymes grounded into a double play and crippled a chance at a last at-bat rally for the Tigers.

"I took a gamble and we came up snake eyes," Mainieri said after the game.

That gamble now has LSU facing elimination tomorrow afternoon against North Carolina.

Mainieri said the sacrifice bunt was “on,” and when Rhymes got ahead in the count 2 balls and 0 strikes he decided to employ the hit and run. Mainieri was hoping for a big final inning to win the game instead of playing for the tie. That is the ideal count for a hit and run (2-0 count.) However, at that point against UCLA’s best pitcher (David Berg,) the right choice would have been to sacrifice Katz over to second base.

Looking ahead: LSU will start sophomore left hander Cody Glenn on the mound against North Carolina. Glenn hasn’t pitched since the SEC tournament after being suspended in the Regional round, and did not pitch in the Super Regional. So, Glenn is certainly well rested, but there is a concern about “rust.” No word on who will start for UNC.

The Tigers have 57 wins this season, and many felt this might just be the best team LSU has brought to Omaha. However, that simply won't matter if they go two and out in the CWS. First pitch tomorrow is at 2 o’clock from TD Ameritrade Park here in Omaha.

Not by a long-shot was this the right choice. Not with the number of DP's Rhymes ahs hit in to this year - four in SEC torunament play. No one can seriously believe LSU did not ahve to get Katz to second base.

06/17/2013 2:57PM

Your right

I couldn't agree more Kristian

06/17/2013 3:15PM

Agree

K-dawg, as deke says, is spot on!

06/17/2013 3:22PM

GEAUX TIGERS

Bad gamble by coach Mainieri, he doesn't make many. We'll get the TarHeels tomorrow and will keep rolling, All the mistake gotten out of the way GEAUX TIGERS

06/17/2013 3:37PM

Javi ball

Doesn't matter what pitcher we start. If we play typical javi baseball against ace pitching we will lose. Can't win playing pop up, pop up, and ground out. You can't blame nola or bregman. It's on Javi.

06/17/2013 3:39PM

1st time

The first time we get the lead off man on (9th), we hit into a DP. No bunts, no hit and run, no steals, NOTHING!

06/17/2013 3:41PM

Moore as DH

Kristian, what ya think about starting Tyler Moore as DH?

06/17/2013 3:42PM

Mainieri

I love our coach, but Kristian's assesment is accurate. Ryhmes has hit in so many double plays this year!!!

06/17/2013 3:46PM

Mainieri

Maybe Mainieria will stop getting coaching advice from across the street...

06/17/2013 3:47PM

Percentage

If you want toatke that gamble do so in the earlier innings. Such a gamble in the bottom of the 9th could cost you the chance to win - and it did. Hidsight is always 20-20. That's why baseball is played by percentages and not by gambles. Just my thought and opinion. But they'll be OK from here on out.

06/17/2013 3:49PM

Starting Glynn???

Let's start a guy that hasn't pitched in months... about as good as an idea as not making Rhymes bunt last night. No excuse for not calling a bunt! He was awful at the plate and has a history of hitting DP's

06/17/2013 3:50PM

advice

Don't look ahead!!! focus to play UNC than a rematch with UNC

06/17/2013 3:52PM

Bunt

Bunt or watch the submarine relief pitcher walk the guy who hit into a double play...either way bunt or sac or a walk and LSU wins!!!

06/17/2013 3:54PM

Terrible game

A terrible game...Tigers you are better than that!! Remember...Winners...always FIND a way to win!!

06/17/2013 3:56PM

arrogance

coach man...your arrogance caught up to you, should have bunted the ball!!

06/17/2013 3:57PM

calm down

We have won it all from the losers bracket before!!!

06/17/2013 3:58PM

SEC Tourney

Right on... one loss in the SEC Tourney and look how that turned out!!!

06/17/2013 4:02PM

Where's the support???

A true fan supports their team win or lose! You can do it Tigers! Stay focused put this game behind you and get ready for the next one. The team has worked their tail off to get here.

06/17/2013 4:03PM

Errors

Let the error loss serve as motivtion! Let's do this...GEAUX!

06/17/2013 4:08PM

Come back

LSU will come back and win this thing, watch and learn bandwagon fans!!!

06/17/2013 4:09PM

Like football

All the hype get to these coaches and players, just like football we get to Omaha and lay an egg!

needs to concentrate on playing baseball and leave that hair alone. has not lived up to that hype.

06/17/2013 4:46PM

ground b

Teach'em to hit ground b not pretty pop fly outs.

06/17/2013 4:53PM

Plate discipline

Plate discipline was glaring an issue last night as those two errors...swinging at b thrown at eye level will usually not get it done!

06/17/2013 4:58PM

UNC

starting a relief pitcher with an unbelievable ERA and BB/K ratio.Tigers better have good hitting discipline tomorrow.

06/17/2013 5:06PM

DEFENSE

The D' is the best in the SEC, it let them down last night

06/17/2013 5:41PM

LSU vs. NC

I think the Tigers will beat NC down the ground, the Tigers want this so badly and will give it everything they've got to win. They will learn from the errors and play great tomorow! CG fools batter and I think with him we can get the victory and come back!!Geaux Tigers

06/17/2013 5:43PM

Kristian

For once we agree, dude...UCLA didn't beat LSU- they beat themselves!

06/17/2013 5:50PM

lay it down

Bunt him to second base coach

06/17/2013 6:21PM

Mainieri

Absolute NONSENSE for people to second guess Mainieri on not bunting. Oh, but wait, I forgot....Rhymes LED the nation in sacrifice bunts didn't he? 0 for the ENTIRE SEASON is a big number right? GROW UP!! First, with an inexperienced bunter like Rhymes trying it, odds are pretty good UCLA would get a force at second. And the reason UCLA bunts is their hitters bat SH-T! IF LSU isn't good enough to beat them with better hitting when LSU has 50 points per man on them, so be it! But the Casey Stengels wannabes who know squat about the kind of team that LSU is shouldn't be acting like they knew what to do here. And BTW, I can tell you where LSU lost that game. LSU lost that game making 2 errors on EASY chances! The ball was hard hit to Bregman but he clearly should have fielded it. And although the bunt out in front of the plate was a good one by UCLA, Ross had time to make a good throw but he threw it too far towards 2nd base. Oh, and let's not forget the Oscar winning performances of UCLA hitters who like to throw elbows and shoulders towards the plate to draw HBP.
You want to know where Mainieri is falling short...isn't on sacrifice bunts. LSU needs to do what every single other team I've seen this year do great....stick a leg...stick an arm...stick any anatomical area towards and plate and take hits to their body on pitches that are darn close to strikes. Obviously, these umps are either blind or haven't read the rule books. About 75% of the HBP I see are NOT legit. The rule says you have to make an effort to avoid getting hit...the batters do the opposite and actually turn into the ball

06/17/2013 6:41PM

agree

Gotta agree with u. While the game was close throughout, the pressure always appeared to be on LSU. Nola pitched an outstanding game, but when the Bruins did get on base, things happened. LSU was forced to play the Bruins game of "Small Ball" and crumbled under the pressure as evidenced by two errors on routine plays that changed the game. Also, the inability of LSU to get a lead-off batter on base was pivotal. Did the Tigers utilize the right strategy? I have to say no, because they did not win. The Bruins brought the game to us and we were not ready in critical situations.

06/17/2013 6:44PM

Nick

What happened yesterday is in the past (let it go). What's important now is today and tomorrow. GEAUX Tigers.

06/17/2013 6:57PM

Observations

Couple of things....1) There is little or anything else in life where 30% is good and 40% fantastic...except baseball batting average. 2) I wonder if any coach in any other sport is second guessed as much as a baseball coach over game decisions from line ups and on down the line.
Also the media way over hyped the tigers and gave the bruins little if any chance...It's a wonder ucla even showed up, but must have been nice 'bullentin board' material for their coach. Or that the tigers could get their caps on....Next time save all the accolades for after the season's over...
And, despite all the post game negatives, the tigers played a good game and had a shot at winning....in fact both team played well and personally I really enjoyed the 'excitement' of the low scoring contest...every at bat and every play in the field counted. Tip of the cap to the bruins...go tigers!

06/17/2013 6:59PM

small ball

We need to play small ball, seems like every time Rymes is up he hits into a double play. Why don't we bunt and move the runner. This is not a park for home runs even though Katz got one to go out. If not for that double play LSU would have won or even been tied in the 9th. Play smart ball, with these bats we can't be slugging away in double play territory.

06/18/2013 12:17AM

Chock

Mainieri is just an ordinary coach,nothing special. Last year he lost to Stony Brook at home and this year he should have sacrificed the runner to second . That would not have happened with Skip at the helm!!!

06/18/2013 5:39AM

Should have bunt

Mainieri should not have gambled in the 9th inning, especially with rhymes at the plate.Don't get me wrong, rhymes is a solid hitter with no one on base. he has hit into 13 double plays this season, by far the most on the team.The bunt call should have not been lifted. if he puts the bunt down, Moore's hit would have tied the game.yes hind sight is 20-20, but this one was pretty easy to see in to the future

06/18/2013 9:35AM

UCLA Game

If we have learned anything from Tiger history we know they will come back. With that said I want to opine about the loss to UCLA. Nola pitched great, besides the errors that were made that led to the 2 unearned runs, the key decision was made in the 8th inning. We finally got our leadoff man on base, Rhymes is up, the count goes to 2-0, the decision to swing and not take a strike was, in my opinion, the key mistake in the game. I know from being a college pitcher and a professional pitcher I'd be happy for the batter to swing when I am having trouble throwing strikes, he did, a double play ensued. Geaux Tigers!

06/18/2013 9:42AM

agree

I agree with you 100%. There will undoubtedly be a lot of hindsight "geniuses" who will say that if Rhymes had bunted then Tyler Moore's base hit would have tied the game. That may be true but who among us really wanted to give an out in that situation? I didn't want him to bunt, but at 2-0, I absolutely expected him to take. If it had been someone like Stevenson or Ross, I could see bunting, but neither of those two would have even been in the game at that point. For all the hits Rhymes has had in his career the bottom line is that he has had a horrific year with runners on base. You've got to know you're players, and be much more careful in critical situations like that. It's easy for outsiders to say that we're spoiled by the season Raph had a year ago, but the facts bear out that he is just not clutch this year. That doesn't mean he's the only one, and it doesn't mean he hasn't had ANY big hits... Certainly the errors were the biggest factor last night. But the decision to let him swing was terrible.
I think we're built as well as any team can be to come back from this, though. Geaux Tigers and whip those heels!

06/18/2013 10:06AM

manieri on bunt

Manieri doesn't like to bunt...in four years I think I can count on one hand the # of times I have seen us sacrifice successfully. Rhymes does not have even one sacrifice bunt this season. Its been the Achilles heel of LSU baseball since Manieri took over. don't get me wrong - I think he is a terrific coach but when it comes to teaching bunting there is definitely something missing. Geaux Tigers!